Hope: The Hunger Games
by shattered melodies
Summary: Twenty years have passed since the end of Mockingjay. Life in District 12 has been relatively peaceful until Katniss and Peeta are given a letter with a single white rose petal that drags their family into darkness. Written as a 'genre' piece for Creative Writing, and is my sole interpretation. I own nothing!


Hope

"Mom, tell me about the Hunger Games." Katniss Everdeen feared hearing those words. One day, she knew her daughter, Primrue, and son, Cinna, would ask about the details – she was a victor, along with her husband, Peeta Mellark – but they were so young. Primrue was only twelve, Cinna only ten. Katniss's eyes swirled anxiously as her body tensed. She swallowed the hard lump in her throat before answering, however, she didn't let her see the sweat beading across her forehead.

"What do you want to know about it, dear?"

"Everything." Oh, no. The questions must come from the fact that school is now teaching her about the Games. Isn't she too young to know about that genocide? Save her innocence, for crying out loud!

"Let me get your father," She said as she stood up from her chair. Just as she was about to leave, she asked little Primrue, "Are they teaching you already?" She needed confirmation. Her voice was about as low as Narcissa Malfoy when she asked Harry Potter if her son was still alive.

"Yes," Primrue responded, gazing up at her mother with those large blue eyes. Katniss sighed before entering the kitchen where Peeta relieved the stress of the day by reading the newspaper. He worked at a bakery during the day where he made his own cakes, pastries, breads, and other baked goods. He loved it there and they were particularly busy today.

"Peeta," Katniss started, immediately going for the strong hand that held the inky paper, longing for his comfort. "She's asking already. About the Games."

"Do you think she's ready to hear about them?" He asked, taking his beloved wife into his arms. She snuggled up close to his heart.

"I don't know. Primrue was always the mature one. But Cinna, I don't know." Speaking of the son, Cinna made an appearance.

"Mom, are you okay?" He asked, looking up at her with grey eyes that he inherited from her. He was always fiercely protective of his mother. Call him a momma's boy; he didn't care.

"Yes, honey. I'm okay," She said, forcing herself to smile a bit.

"Katniss, I think it's time," Peeta whispered gently in her ear. Katniss looked up at her husband with wide, slightly panicked eyes. How could she tell them about the horrors? How she still had the nightmares? How the Games will forever haunt her?

"Peeta…"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." Just as he always had. He kissed her nose as he went into the living room with Katniss following, holding Cinna's hand.

"Gather 'round, Primrue, Cinnna," said Katniss. They huddled in a half circle in front of the glowing orange fire seated in the fireplace. The snow outside had begun to fall, beginning the winter season. Cinna sat by his mom, and Primrue by her father.

"You wanted to learn about the Hunger Games?" Peeta asked. Primrue nodded while Cinna's attention was caught. His hunched back straightened as soon as he heard "Hunger Games." He held his mother's hand with his own as he watched his father. Katniss stared into the fire that crackled against the logs, trying her best to keep the arenas at bay in her mind. Hopefully Peeta would do all the talking as he always had. "A long time ago, our lands were ravaged with war and chaos because the rebels had stood against the Capitol. When the Capitol won the war, the Hunger Games were created as a reminder to the twelve districts that they were still at the Capitol's mercy. One girl and one boy from all the districts went into the arenas until one remained. Twenty-three people had to be defeated, and then the lone victor would be drowned in riches for the remainder of his life. He or she would be paraded around the districts during the Victory Tour a couple months after their Games, just to rub it into the other districts faces a bit more."

"Until you and Mom came along. You both are here," Primrue said indifferently. Katniss had to close her eyes to focus; how much did Primrue already know? Did she just want to hear her parents' perspectives? Peeta nodded and continued.

"Yes, until your mother and I came along." He continued retelling the tale of their adventures in the Games, leaving out the most gruesome of details. Katniss focused on watching her children's reaction. Primrue only looked horrified when she heard how her father lost his leg. She looked at it and gingerly placed her miniscule fingers on the silver metal where his fleshy shin used to be.

"Did it hurt?" She asked, snuggling up close to Peeta. "when they chopped off your leg?" Peeta chuckled and rubbed her back with the tips of his fingers.

"I don't remember feeling any pain. They gave me so much morphling that I felt nothing," He said. "Don't worry; my leg is fine now because of your mother." Peeta dived into more detail when it was time to explain the Quarter Quell. He told them about Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta, Panem's true star-crossed lovers.

"That's incest, Dad!" Cinna interrupted, his face scrunching in disgust. "Finnick is Annie's son!"

"Annie named Finnick after his father, honey," Katniss said, giving her son's shoulders a squeeze. She desperately tried to not think of Annie's decayed, skeletal husband. She saw him die after all; his limbs and head came off his body like cotton candy. She struggled between reality and her memories, but managed to speak more. "Just like Primrue was named after my little sister and…fellow tribute, and Cinna was named after my designer."

"Oh, I didn't know…" Cinna said, his head low as he hugged his mother. Peeta laughed lightly.

"You all were named after the friends and family we lost in the Games," Peeta said. "You were all born with significance." The children smiled, their eyes sparkling in the dim light.

"Anyway, continue." He never mentioned the last war or how the Capitol brainwashed him into thinking Katniss was a muttation. They're too young for all the details, and little Primrue and little Cinna didn't pester for more. They knew, however, and they smelled trouble brewing.

The next morning, a standard knock on the wooden door woke up the parents. Primrue and Cinna had snuck into bed with them, but they remained asleep.

"Finnick, Annie, hi," Katniss said, smiling. "Stopping by for some tea?"

"As always, Aunt Katniss," Finnick replied. They weren't related, but they felt like family. Finnick and Annie entered the warm home, Finnick holding his mother's hand. The features of Finnick matched his father's with an uncanny resemblance. Same sea-green eyes, same skin, same haircut, same muscular build. The only difference was the brown hue of his hair instead of the bronze color. Finnick was slightly younger as well, around the age of twenty.

"We brought some, uhm… cookies and… a few flavors of tea," Annie said, staying close to her son as she carried a grocery bag in her free hand. She's remained relatively the same, long brown hair and her own sea-green eyes. She's a little on the skinny side, but is otherwise healthy.

"Thank you, Annie." Peeta took the bag and guided the group to the kitchen where groggy Primrue and Cinna, still in their pajamas, made an appearance. Thankfully for them, neither Katniss or Peeta had nightmares that usually broke their slumber. It was a quiet night.

"Aunt Annie!" The kids ran to their favorite family friend and wrapped their arms around her body. Though all the attention overwhelmed her, she built up the courage to snake her bony arms around them, however slowly and warily.

"Hey, you two," She said, biting the inside of her lip a bit.

"No love for your favorite cousin?" Finnick mocked with a grin. Primrue and Cinna both looked up at him and remembered what their father told them the previous night; Finnick was named after someone important. They were as well. When they embraced him, the hug was much more solemn. Prim buried her face in his chest as little Cinna snuggled close to Finnick's abdomen. He was a short kid after all. "Uh, are you two alright?" Finnick asked, patting their heads as his perfectly colored eyed watched them carefully.

"You're important, Finnick," Cinna responded. Katniss tapped her children on the shoulders and though they remained unflinching, she got onto her knees and gave them a big smile.

"How about some tea and cookies, huh?" She said. The children turned to look at their mother, but stood firmly in place, eyes full of tears. Their 'cousin' wasn't going anywhere.

"I brought your favorites," Annie interjected with her soft, broken voice. It reminded Katniss of her mother's vulnerability, especially before she volunteered at the seventy-fourth reaping for her little sister. Before her life changed forever.

"Lemon pies and jelly cakes?" The kids perked up, letting go of Finnick. Annie nodded as Peeta set the table. The family wrapped around the perimeter and indulged in some delicious pastries. It wasn't long before the children went off to their rooms to discuss children gossip.

"We need your help, Katniss, Peeta," Finnick said when the coast was clear.

"With what?" Katniss responded, taking another sip of tea. She liked hers with a droplet or two of lemon. Finnick handed them a faded yellow sealed envelope with a maroon insignia over the flap. Just as Katniss touched it, the shock of the stench forced her to drop it so her hands could cover her nose. Almost instinctively, she jumped up and backed away from the table.

"What is it?" Peeta stood up after her and protectively wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Is it poison?" Katniss shook her head but kept her hands over her nose.

"It's worse," She said through her fingers. "It's... blood and – and roses." Peeta remained confused until his own memories resurfaced. That particular scent flooded his nostrils when he was being injected with tracker jacker venom back in the Capitol. That scent aided in the distortion of his reality and to be around it again… He could feel himself losing his sanity.

"Finnick, get it out of here," Peeta said as calmly as he could, letting go of Katniss and gripping the table with a remarkable strength. Finnick stood up with the letter in hand, confused but worried. What was happening?

"What does it mean?" He asked.

"Looks like President Snow is paying us another visit." Annie heard "President Snow" and immediately lost reality. She was back in the arena, seeing her District mate beheaded over and over again, thinking how it could have been her -

"Mom! Mom!" Her son found her and brought her back to reality. Just as her father had, he whispered sweet things to her so she wouldn't be afraid. It took a while, but the hands that pressed deep on the surface of her ears released to her sides and her eyes that were so tightly compressed uneasily opened.

"Read them the letter, Finnick," Annie said almost as if she were a child, her voice timid. "Quickly." Her son nodded and ripped open the envelope. Just to torture the unsuspecting victims, a single white petal fell to the floor. It was like she was seventeen again; the Games and Snow were out to kill her once more. She hit the door, scratching and yelping.

"Katniss, what's going on?" Finnick went to her, touching her quivering back.

"Roses... Don't you know what they mean?" He shook his head. "Snow's still trying to get to me, even though he should be dead! That man tortured us to no end, Peeta especially! He always had a perfect white rose to hide the stench of blood on his breath!" Annie returned to the illusions in her mind.

"Never thought we'd smell them again," Peeta said, gripping a wooden chair this time. He was struggling again. Finnick took the petal from the ground and tossed it out the window.

"It's gone," He said. "But to be safe, do you happen to have a candle?" Katniss quickly walked to the kitchen cabinet and found a stress-relief candle and a lighter. "Gather 'round the flame." He chuckled as he ignited the string that would free his family from their terrors. It took a moment, but they were able to regain their minds.

"Much better," Peeta uttered, holding a trembling Katniss for both of their sakes. "Now, that letter?" Just as Finnick was about to read the letter, he stopped himself, his eyes darting around the room. "What is it?" Finnick found it difficult to speak at first.

"It says, 'I hope the two of you are comfortable in your little home in the Victor's Village. I hope the two of your children are happy playing on the graves of your people. I hope you enjoyed the false comfort of peace these past twenty years. Just remember, Panem's past star-crossed lovers, I can find you, and I can watch you.'" Simply cunning, evil words that neither Katniss nor Peeta could bear to hear.

"I saw him dead!" Katniss shouted, trembling harder as her voice quivered.

"Who addressed us?" Peeta asked with a steady voice, trying to soothe his wife by stroking her hair.

"There's no signature. Or a return address."

"Finnick, we should go back," Annie said in a hushed voice, grabbing her son's bicep.

"Mom, what about -"

"I want to go home." He couldn't deny her, and it's not like she could return on her own.

"Okay," He said, patting his mother's hand and smiling softly at her. Just like his father. "I will call as soon as I get home, Aunt Katniss." And then they were gone.

"What are we going to do, Peeta?" Katniss wiped her eyes, trying to maintain her composure.

"We need to know more, Katniss," He replied.

"We need to be safe."

"And what, move away?" The two continued to discuss, but little did either parent know, Primrue had been listening to the entire conversation through the wall with Cinna right next to her.

The children had school the next morning. Primrue, as she walked through the dirt path to get to school, remembered words from last night. 'I hope the two of your children are happy playing on the graves of your people.' She heard the letter. She knew danger was around the corner. Her blue eyes darted from one side to the other, wondering if there was anything unusual around. Maybe someone she never noticed before. School was in District 12. Did something happen here? Did Snow send in people so there's literally death engraved in the soil? Primrue grimaced at the thought as she glanced to the ground.

"Prim?" Cinna said her name.

"Huh-? Yeah, what is it?" She blinked a lot to return to her body from her imagination.

"Should we be worried? Mom and Dad seemed on edge last night," He said, biting part of the skin on his lip.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine."

"That petal... they were scared of a flower. Isn't that weird?" Cinna must not have heard what Mother Katniss said. They were tortured.

"Just like our names, it's important." The school day only interested them when it came to History. That's where they learned about the Games. Primrue was starving for information. She's the one who asked all the questions. "What was the Capitol's motives?" "What drove the rebels to rebel prior to the Hunger Games?" "Why were the Games permitted when they violated numerous human rights?" "Why didn't those in the Capitol help or stop the Games?" She wanted to find some pattern, some hint. Every time she received an answer, she would inch forward, ready to pounce out of her desk like a panther. She stared so deeply into the person who gave an answer, she saw through them. She provoked discussions and made even the teacher wonder a few things. It was never enough, however. Never.

The siblings walked home in silence. Once they got home, though, the silence evanesced. They saw the vivid, scarlet color of blood all around the body. It splattered and stained the otherwise white wall. And beside that lifeless, defeated body was a single, silvery rose petal.

"Cinna, get out of the house. Now!" Primrue said, pushing her brother and backing outside.

"Who is that?" He asked, breathing heavily as the pupils of his eyes ballooned in size.

"I don't know, but go find help!"

"Primrue, Cinna, are you two alright?!" Finnick materialized from the woods in the foreground and rushed over to them.

"We're fine, but someone's in our house and needs help," Primruse said in a rushed voice, pointing to the door.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" Cinna asked, feeling uncomfortable not knowing where his beloved mother was.

"I'm not sure," He noted. "Stay here." He walked in the door and the way he bounced on his feet gave the essence that he was determined to protect. Finnick entered the house, saw the beaten and broken body, and made a beeline toward it. His index and middle fingers slid beneath the body's jawline, yearning for a pulse. It took a moment, but the recognition hit him at once.

"Haymitch?" Finnick met him only with Katniss and Peeta. He was their mentor in the Games. Now he's a family friend who came over during the holidays. "Haymitch, wake up." His pulse was faint. But suddenly, he was coughing like there was something stuck in his throat. Blood dripped down his chin as he struggled for air.

"Just relax, okay?"

"Haymitch!" That was Katniss. Peeta, Katniss, and surprisingly enough, her mother burst through the front door. Katniss's mother went right to him and immediately went into the zone. She had a medical kit with her, so she could easily check vital signs, clear the gaping wounds that slashed his body, and administer oxygen through a mask.

"He needs to go to the hospital," The mother said. Now that the districts took their homeland back, hospitals began to pop up everywhere. Free health care! "and needs stitches and bed rest."

"I can't believe this," Katniss said, packing back and forth. "Just... why?"

"Ask questions later. We should be there for Haymitch," Peeta said, but his eyes were focused on his old mentor.

"The kids are outside," Finnick mentioned. Katniss's mother put Haymitch on a stretcher before him him outdoors.

"Katniss, what happened?" Finnick asked, reaching to touch her arm. His expression was soft; his sea-green eyes that so much reflected the color the ocean were so trustworthy.

"We invited him over while the kids were at school, you know? Since it was time to introduce him to them. It was supposed to be a surprise. But when we sat down at the table, the windows shattered and Haymitch got the full front of it. There were needles everywhere," She answered in a jittery fashion, her hands shaking. Eventually she sighed, muttering something along the lines of dying early from stress.

"Needles?"

"They kind of look like pine needles, but they're made of steel." Katniss held one up. "And they're dripping in poison." She immediately dropped it, wiping her hand on her shirt. The two them caught up with Peeta and her mother, and eventually with Cinna and Primrue. They were both filled with questions. "Who was that guy?" "Why was he in our house?" et cetera. Their mother found the courage to answer, giving the children all the details, and they were instantly silenced, though their faces expressed the emotions for surprise and a dash of fear.

Katniss stayed in the hospital with her former mentor and her mother, much to everyone's surprise. Peeta offered to stay with them after the first night. , but she told him to go home with the kids. This was something just for her to overcome.

"Let's go into town," Peeta told Primrue and Cinna the next morning. The children nodded and walked a bit robotically. Their eyes were as wide as saucers, their breathing became labored, and their lips were slightly parted. All they could see in their minds was Haymitch's blood. It stained his skin, the walls, his clothes, the carpets... No surface didn't have a drop of blood. Katniss sent Hazelle, Gale's mother and part-time maid, to clean up the mess while the family remained in the hospital, so they weren't about to see the mess. But the blood will surely be visiting the nightmares of those young minds...

"Do you guys want anything specific? Maybe I could get some fancy cheese buns or fried mozzarella or lamb stew..."

"Fried mozzarella," Cinna said after a moment. His voice couldn't even hide his fear much to Peeta's dismay. "And lamb stew for Mom."

"Bok choy, carrots, bell peppers, enoki mushrooms." Primrue listed a copious amount of vegetables, the ones that tickled her fancies. Now that District 12 began to farm, people could get medicines and vegetables for a cheap price and quickly. Life here wasn't so bad anymore; it's less dirty and no one is starving to death so much anymore.

Peeta made sure to get all their favorites. Cinna had a weakness for chocolate milk while Primrue couldn't stop drooling over peanut butter-chocolate pastries. Those little sweets made their smiles return, even by a little. It was a blessing, really. The sun began to peek through the clouds, even though snow flurried all around. The little family walked around the district, stopping every so often to look at something shiny. The courageous father eventually laid his eyes on something marvelous. Perhaps the children would like it.

"Hey, would you look at that?" They were at an artsy store that sold clothes, accessories, and jewelry when he saw the perfect gift. He picked up the silky red ribbon with a gingerly touch to better observe the symbol stitched into the fabric.

"What is it, Dad?" Primrue asked, looking up at him with wondrous eyes.

"It's a bear," He said with a smile. "Bears are strong." He slipped the ribbon behind her neck to tie it around her hair. "And so are you, Primrue." He smiled, adjusting the ribbon so everyone could see the bear patch. Primrue went to look into the mirror and was in awe at the reflection. People could see her face now, when before her long bangs got in the way. To her surprise, she liked what she saw.

"Thank you, Daddy." He patted her head with an ever present smile on his face.

"And you, Cinna. I think this hat would be dashing on you." He found a modern winter hat with two long, dangling strings. Stitched in with the colors of brown, black, orange, and red was the illusion of a bear. Peeta placed it easily on his son's head, pulling down on the strings to adjust it.

"It's warm," Cinna said, trying to look up at it.

"Bears are definitely warm."

"Have you ever seen one since you've been in the Hunger Games, Dad?" Primrue asked. Just before Peeta had the opportunity to respond, the windows to the store shattered, hitting a couple bodies along the way. There were needles everywhere, but fatherly instincts saved his children from getting hit. He pulled them to the ground and hovered over them. Debris, like shattered glass and a couple of stray needles, fell onto his back but Peeta was safe from danger.

"Dad," The kids whimpered but he just quietly shushed them. It was over in a moment or so they thought. When other customers began to poke their heads up from the ground, more needles came. Profanity and screams filled the air as the children clung to their father for dear life. He kept as calm as he could, his eyes shut so he could think clearly.

"Medic, medic! We need a medic!" Someone shouted from within the store.

"Dad... what's going on...?" Primrue whispered as softly as she could.

"I'm not sure." When the attacking needles reached a complete stop, Peeta wasted an extra minute before rising to his feet. The children didn't dare to move, but used their eyes to watch their father. Peeta peeked over the pack of clothes that hid his children and him so perfectly. There was a bit of white mist around the shattered windows, but the coast was sticking out of their backs. There wasn't much blood, thankfully, but the sight was still gruesome. He had to get them out of here.

"Okay, Cinna, Primrue, listen to me. We have to go home. Just stay calm and don't stray from me. Do you understand me?" He said and the children nodded, tears in their eyes. Peeta took their hands, looked around, and dashed out the front door. He made a mental note to call Katniss when he made it home.

Outside, it was quiet, as if nothing happened. Except a single, white rose petal fell in the breeze and onto Peeta's bicep.

"Gah!" He let go of Primrue's hand as the petal burned his peachy skin. He brushed it off him like it was fire, the memories flashing around his mind.

"Dad!" Primrue clutched his hand again and fought off the tears.

"Let's get out of here," He responded, beginning to run back to the Victor's Village. Primrue and Cinna were fueled by confusion and adrenaline; they had no idea how to think or process what just happened.

But, they made it back safe in the darkness of the newly fallen night. Primrue and Cinna had the groceries and still had them. Waiting for them at the door was the adoring mother who was just about to get inside.

"Katniss!"

"Mom!" Cinna ran right to Katniss, hugging her with a vice grip. He wasn't about to let go of her, never again. peeta and Primrue made their way to her a second later, also hugging her for dear life.

"What - what happened?" The attention startled her, but she knew something was wrong.

"We were out in the district when we were in a store and all of a sudden, the windows shattered and people were on the floor with blood stains..." Cinna hiccuped, not feeling close enough to her. Katniss looked to Peeta for confirmation and he needed his head.

"We weren't hit, though. We're okay," He said.

"Get inside," She said, opening the door. The children dropped off groceries on the table and ran right to their bedrooms. As if they were toddlers, they hid in the tiny, cramped spaces of their closets and beds.

"We're not safe here, huh?" She said, beginning to pace as the couple entered the kitchen. "We have to leave."

"I agree."

"The kids... Finnick should bring them to District Four. Tonight. They'll be safe. Then we can follow."

"Why not just go with them?"

"We ought to cover our tracks, huh? We're obviously being targeted." Peeta looked at Katniss, watching her eyes specifically.

"I'll tell the kids to pack." Pain filled her eyes.

"This isn't the end, sweetheart." He took her in his arms and kissed her forehead. She molded into his body, suppressing the tears. "We want them safe. And this time they will be." She nodded, kissing her husband's warm lips before reaching for the phone. Peeta went up to the bedrooms to break the news to the two siblings.

"Finnick?" Katniss choked. "It's Katniss. Can you do us a favor?"

That night was too quiet for their likings. Primrue and Cinna left an hour ago and Katniss and Peeta could only worry. They needed each other's love and warmth to, for just a second, forget the events that just occurred. The near-death of Haymitch. The letter. The shattered glass and needles. The blood stained walls. And worst of all, the white rose petal. Who could it be? Snow? He's dead. Unless he never really died. But he would've used the entire rose.

"I love you, Katniss," Peeta whispered in his beloved wife's ear, giving it a light kiss.

"I love you, too, Peeta," She replied, holding onto him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder blade. "Stay with me."

"Always."

Trickling in through the thin curtains was the morning sun. Peeta was waking up slowly, noticing how he didn't have any nightmares. How lucky. Katniss, on the other hand, wasn't so fortunate. After waking up three times to horribly graphic dreams - she remembered blood being a recurring subject - she had dragged her weary body out of bed and began to pack. Maybe they could return one day, so she just packed what was necessary: toiletries; clothes; blankets; cans of food. Good thing Peeta and the kids went to the market.

"Need help?" Peeta asked, sitting up in bed. Katniss looked up at him with bruised, baggy eyes and nodded slowly. She rubbed her face after a moment and sighed. Peeta walked over to her, placing his sturdy hands on her tense shoulders. "Remember back in the day when you asked me to runaway with you?"

"Yeah."

"It was pretty much no questions asked. We were going to take our whole family into the woods. While we may not be going into the woods, we're still running away with family." Katniss smiled, a chuckle escaping her chapped, pink lips.

"Only took us what, twenty years?"

"Better late than never."

Now that Peeta was awake, packing was a breeze; they finished within the hour. Clouds began to cover and hide the sun, so light diminished to a small ray.

"You ready?" Katniss asked.

"Let's go." Peeta grabbed the bags and placed them in the trunk. The van could instantly transport their bags to Annie's home in District 4. Thanks to technology, time could be saved. The van, led by nothing but wind and solar energy, hovered in the air before flying away.

"Who's that?" Katniss nodded over to an elderly looking man, leaning against a tree. His hood clung to his white hair and was snug against his ears. His skin was wrinkled, his eyes yellowed. He must have been homeless; his clothes were torn in some places and his gloved hands tried to control the flames inside a can by waving over them. Peeta frowned a bit.

"I don't know," He said, beginning to walk over to the man.

"Are you Peeta Mellark?" The old man asked, his old voice cracking.

"Yes, I am," Peeta said, slowly inching toward him.

"Could you be so kind as to lend me some food? I haven't eaten for days and I'm awfully hungry." The old man swayed his body left to right and flapped his arms. What's with this guy?

"Perhaps. How's this?" From his coat pocket, he reached in and grabbed a small loaf of bread. The old man snatched it and sniffed the fluffy inside.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Mellark," The old man said, taking Peeta into his arms in a horrifically tight embrace. "You're so kind." The old man's hand dropped to Mellark's mid back before clenching his very skin. His nails were so sharp, much like bear claws, and they dug through his thick coat, stabbing him like knives. Peeta's eyes widened in surprise, pushing the old man away from him. The old man melted into his black clothes, vanishing into nothing.

"Katniss, we go to get out of here!" Peeta yelled, running back to his wife. Fortunately for him, he was only scratched. Nothing too deep.

"What happened?" Before Peeta could answer, a thin, red slit scratched Katniss from the bridge of her nose to her jawline. Blood suddenly appeared, but she felt nothing. That didn't mean the fear wasn't etched across her face.

"You didn't think I'd forget, did you?" The old man's voice slowly transformed into a deep, middle aged voice, and in place of his clothes became a cloaked man with dark grey hair, unnaturally smooth skin, and piercing yellow eyes. Those eyes reminded her of a certain dead antagonist.

"Who are you?" Katniss asked with belligerence as her body began to tremble.

"Dear Katniss, wouldn't you, all people recognize me? I mean, because of you, my father's dead." It hit her like a baseball bat over the head.

"Bristol Snow. You're..."

"'You're...You're...'" The man mocked, laughing humorlessly as he whistled a high pitched note that only a soprano could hit. Yet another cut sliced through Katniss's skin, but this time it was up her arm. It burned like a rash, except no blood spilled. "Yes. Coriolanus Snow, ex-tyrant of Panem, is still haunting you after death, the two sparks he could never blow out."

"Don't think he ever will," Katniss said, inching toward the knife in her winter coat. Bristol was stepping forward, watching the couple carefully.

"Oh, you think so?" He pulled out a single rose petal, colored in snow white, and blew it at the victors. The petal landed on their interlaced hands as light as a feather, but the moment it touched their skin, a white fire erupted in the petal's place. The skin became black and charred as the couple let each other go, screaming at the new but familiar pain. They were no strangers to burns. Katniss fell to the snowy earth, burying the deformed hand in the lovely, cold ice. "Too slow." Bristol appeared by Peeta and kicked him down. He could hardly feel the pain of the burn or the cool of the snow; the flashbacks were playing in his mind. They were so shiny and vivid; he was lost to his false, manufactured memories. "A bit lost, are you, boy?" Bristol toyed around, kicking his ribcage.

"Peeta!" Katniss cried for her husband. She wished she had her bow, but what good would it do for her now that her hand was immobilized? The ice froze her fingers in place, rendering it useless. She rose to her feet, remembering her knife. She snuck up behind Bristol, his attention entirely on the delusional Peeta, and like an expert hunter, went for his knife. Except Katniss never made it. Bristol was too smart; he predicted she would attack, and now those meaty fingers were sucking the air out of her, crushing her larynx.

"Katniss!" Peeta called for his wife through his daytime nightmares.

"Oh, Katniss, let's make a deal, shall we? If you somehow manage to kill me today, right now, you and your husband will find peace."

"What makes you say that?" Katniss managed to squeeze out.

"My sister's dead. My mother's dead. My father's dead. I am the last one. You'll never be hunted by us again if you kill me."

"I don't... believe you!"

"I thought you agreed to my father that you wouldn't lie to him and he wouldn't lie to you. I am merely an extension of him." Katniss continued to struggle, more so now that he had lifted her into the air. She kicked as hard as she could and wiggled like a worm, but he was vigilant. He wasn't letting go, not even when she grunted, groaned, or cried.

"Let me go!" She could feel life escaping her as she began to see spots and blurred vision.

"Katniss!" Peeta tried, but as soon as he got up, Bristol kicked him down, seemingly effortlessly. All one-hundred-eighty-six pounds of his body weight force centered on the baker's chest. He scratched viciously, but stopped as soon as Bristol put both feet on Peeta's chest, adding Katniss's one-hundred-thirty pounds to the added weight. He yelped in pain, unable to help.

"Looks like even the boy with the bread can't save you," Bristol said, unable to repress a smile. "Age really hit you two early. No matter, no matter. Say hello to my father for me." He let her go. Peeta screamed his wife's name. Bristol's fist was about to deliver the final blow, a hard punch to her sternum, when Katniss hit the ground, coughing up blood and gasping for the luxury of oxygen. Peeta could breathe, too; Bristol stepped off him. Blood overflowed from his mouth as he collapsed to the snowy earth, dead before he hit the ground. A trident stuck out of his back.

"That's payback for your father killing my husband." Annie. For the first time in years - decades - Annie had a moment of clarity and found her strength. But the lights went off for the attacked victors. Unconsciousness dragged them into darkness whether they wanted it to or not.

"Mom?"

"Dad?" Their children called to them. They could feel their touches on their fingers. Katniss personally could hear a little voice deep within the black abyss of her unconscious mind, a female's voice. A little girl who wasn't Primrue, called her "mommy." Who could it be?

"Katniss," A familiar voice whispered her name until she finally opened those grey eyes of hers. Some pressure, like a brace, held her neck captive. It was reassurance, a comfort. "Welcome back to us, Auntie." Finnick was there to greet her with a bashful grin.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Mom went to your house to help you move to District 4 when she saw you guys being attacked. She recognized Bristol Snow and went for the kill shot. Then she brought you guys here."

"By herself?!"

"She called me at that point." Katniss's eyes went to the door to find the once mad girl, Miss Annie Cresta, holding a bouquet of lilies.

"Annie..."

"I thought you could use some color," She said, placing the yellow flowers in a vase by her bed.

"Thank you..." Katniss reached out to touch her unlikely savior who looked at her with fearful eyes again.

"I... I just wanted to help... You guys were there for me when I needed you. So... thank you."

Peace could be found in the aquatic world of District 4. The fresh scent of the salty sea calmed the family of four, especially Mother Katniss. Her muscles eased and stressed seemed to evaporate. The people were lively and the fish was divine. The kids, Primrue and Cinna, played in the water how children should be able to play. The smiles returned. Peeta found it especially easy to control his emotions now; the flashbacks weren't so vivid anymore. He loved the air, so clean and pure. It was all the therapy he needed.

Katniss's mother came around every so often now that she could. She found a life here in the safety of the ocean and even she could smile. The mother had another reason to smile now for one big reason.

She could witness, and perhaps even deliver, her daughter's third child.

Katniss gazed at the sea in all its perfections as waves crept up to her toes. She found her way to a beach, the sun setting a soft orange. Beside her was her husband, who held her with loose arms. His sturdy hand found its way to her growing belly; she was about five months along now.

"It's your favorite color, Peeta," Katniss said smiling and pointing to the orange sky.

"Still the best color in the world," He replied with a grin. "Maybe it'll be her favorite as well."

"Speaking of the baby, we need a name."

"Have any in mind?"

"It should be something with meaning."

"We could name her Annie!"

"That's hopeful." They laughed, but Peeta liked what he heard.

"Or... Hope. That could be her name. Simple yet significant." Katniss smiled again and laid her head over Peeta's steady heart. "We never lost hope."

"Hope... I like it."


End file.
